This invention relates to a bireactant gas dynamic laser and more specifically to the use of a linear combustor. Conventional gas dynamic laser systems generally incorporate a cylindrical combustor located at one end of a combustor distribution manifold and the hot gas must travel the length of the distribution manifold as it supplies each nozzle in a laser nozzle array. A cylindrical combustor is shown and claimed in U.S. Application Ser. No. 58,714 for COMBUSTOR FOR GAS DYNAMIC LASER by Robert G. Carroll et al, filed herewith, said application being commonly assigned with subject application. There is also a gas dynamic laser wherein a nozzle array is fed from the side. A construction of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,285 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,823.